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| Stasz, C., & Brewer, D. J. (1999). Academic Skills at Work: Two Perspectives (MDS-1193). Berkeley: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California. |
This review highlights some conflicting theoretical perspectives about skills that affect the definition and measurement of academic skills and the interpretation of research findings for educational practice. A positivist view conceives of skills as unitary, measurable traits that individuals possess and holds strong assumptions about skill transfer. The situated perspective sees skill requirements and use as part of a larger context; skill transfer is rare. These different approaches often present conflicting evidence about the perceived value of academic skills by different groups and the importance of formal knowledge for work performance. These different perspectives also bear on current ideas about what and how to teach, although the positivists are less concerned about such matters.
The debate over new skills has broad implications for schooling. New conceptions of skills expand the repertoire of basic skills that schools should teach in order to incorporate generic skills and work competencies such as problem solving, teamwork, and systems understanding. These conceptions implicitly support a multivariate view of skills by stressing that academic knowledge and skills are not enough. In the SCANS framework, for example, students should develop workplace competencies, and they should know how to apply knowledge to solve problems.
In the next two chapters, we present two new analyses which adopt a multivariate view. Chapter 3 presents evidence for academic skills at work in a study of technical workers from the situated perspective. Chapter 4 examines academic and non-academic skills in labor market performance. This analysis departs from previous studies of this type in that it adopts the multivariate perspective of skills.
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| Stasz, C., & Brewer, D. J. (1999). Academic Skills at Work: Two Perspectives (MDS-1193). Berkeley: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California. |